And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15
There are many Christians who cower under fear that God does not hear them. These have had their faith tarnished, corrupted, and besmirched by a lie. From the beginning, Satan’s greatest work has been to deceive God’s children into believing what is false.
To have confidence in a God who hears prompts the faith to act. Herein we find the phrase, “according to his will.” What is God trying to do? Our Father wants us to ask Him to do His will and most amazingly, He wants us to be specific. It acknowledges the sovereignty of God, yet stirs up the significance of partnership with God. To believe that God hears is to stand like Moses, entering boldly into the presence of God in full assurance that He will act upon our requests (Ex 33:11-23; Heb 4:16, Eph 3:12). That is a mystery of God, that even in His sovereignty, we are welcomed as partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4): God invites us into the Heavenly board room to make decisions about how to bring His kingdom to earth (Hebrews 10:19-23).
The Kingdom of Heaven is advancing, and the Lord is offering us the opportunity for sonship: an employee has no right to ask questions or change procedure within the company, but a son is expected to both ask to understand AND make changes as he grows into his role of ruling and reigning (Ephesians 2:6, 2 Timothy 2:12). We are no longer slaves, but sons (Galatians 4:7) and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Therefore, don’t think like a slave, act like a son.
Yielding Prayer
Father, thank you for making me your son/daughter. I want to partner with you to accomplish your will on earth, please reveal to me what you are wanting to do so that I can begin today to pray inviting you to accomplish it. Would you reveal to me the ways that I still think like a slave? Please heal me of those tendencies to sink back into the mire of my humanity and help me instead to rise above to the life as a conqueror to which you have called me. Thank you for hearing me, help me to walk in confidence of what you are doing. Amen
To read more about your identity as a son of God check out the post, “Come Boldly“
The picture of the Dad handing over the car keys to his son touched me deeply. First, this picture shows how the relationship between an earthly Dad and his son should be. The close relationship they share, and the Dad teaching his son what he needs to know to live life successfully. I think of our Heavenly Father giving to His Son, Jesus, those who will become His Own, and then Jesus giving Himself to us to teach, train, and guide us through our earthly lives through His Word and the Holy Spirit.